To Pop the Question
by madwriter223
Summary: Shaggy's come to a decision. It was time to pop the question. The Question. First things first, he needed to find a ring. FLUFF, more Fluff and a Panic Attack. Freddy/Shaggy


**AN: I was in a fluffy mood when I wrote this. ^_^ Please enjoy.**

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 **To Pop the Question**

Shaggy wasn't really a 'do it by yourself' kind of guy. He always preferred having company in most activities he did. He had Scooby, Fred, Velma and Daphne, and if one of them was busy there was always someone else to hang with. Well, most times.

But this, Shaggy knew, he had to do alone. It seemed more fitting. It was of course, deeply personal, and Shaggy wasn't ready to share it with the gang yet. He wanted it to be from him, and if he had company, his ultimate decision would be influenced by their well-meant advice.

He knew he had to do this alone. But man oh man, he kinda wished he did have some help. Finding the perfect engagement ring was way difficult. There were so many different ones. Shaggy almost felt like his head was spinning when he looked at the rows upon rows of rings. There were ones made from gold, from silver, from platinum, from special steal for allergic people. There were ones with diamonds, with emeralds, with sapphires, with beautiful swirling rocks and breathtaking crystals.

Each ring was amazing. But none of them caught Shaggy's eye. None of them would look right on Fred's finger, and Shaggy needed it to be perfect for him. Engagements were supposed to be perfect, right?

It took him the better part of three days to find the best ring. He wanted it to be a surprise, so he'd searched during their normal work hours. He took a few days from work, and made sure to always answer when Freddy called during the day for a quick chat. Work at the news station kept Fred busy, but he always made sure to call Shaggy during one of his coffee breaks, to check in or to talk about their plans for after work that day. It was nice, being remembered like that. Shaggy's work wasn't as demanding, so it wasn't usually a problem if he had to take a sudden break to answer the phone. It helped that he worked in Velma's bookshop, she never minded. She even understood when Shaggy couldn't tell her why he wanted the few days off. Privately, Shaggy was sure Velma already knew, but he was grateful she never commented on it.

Shaggy finally found the perfect ring at the eleventh jewelery store he visited. The ring was silvery, polished to an awesome shine. There was what looked like a golden rope running around the middle, ending at one point in a little knot. It looked just like the rope Fred liked to use in his traps.

It was perfect.

Shaggy called the dude behind the counter over and got that ring in the correct size. He'd been real sneaky about getting Freddy's ring size, too. Okay fine, he hadn't been sneaky at all, he'd just out-right asked Fred about it. But then he asked him about his neck size and his belt size and ankle size, so Shaggy was rather sure Freddy wouldn't know which one Shaggy had been really after. He hoped.

He was lucky, because they had one of those in stock. So Shaggy left that final jewelery shop with a neat little blue box containing, possibly, his future. It felt heavy in his pocket, but Shaggy still couldn't help smiling.

.*~*.

Shaggy decided to propose during date-night. It wasn't fancy or anything, but they weren't either, so he figured it would fit. Besides, if he went all out like in the movies, got a table in a fancy restaurant, worn a tux and got a violinist to serenade them, Freddy would know immediately something was up. It also sounded weird. No, Shaggy decided that date-night would be perfect. They'd see a movie, eat some snacks, maybe see that new Trap Exhibit at the museum again. Just a nice, fun night and then Shaggy would propose.

Wow, was it getting hot in here? Shaggy definitely felt hot and it was supposed to be a mild evening, weather-wise.

Shaggy swallowed thickly and checked his watch. Freddy was late, but that happened sometimes with Fred's line of work. It definitely wasn't because of a new case, Fred always called for that. So he was definitely coming, they were definitely gonna have a great time, and then Shaggy was definitely gonna propose.

Wow, the air felt thin all of a sudden. Was it this hard to breathe normally, or was it just him?

The Mystery Machine finally rolled up to the cinema and Freddy climbed out. "Hey, Shag, sorry I'm late. I got held back at work, Mr. Delastrun wanted to redo the last shot several extra times."

Shaggy wanted to smile and wave, maybe greet Fred with a kiss. But the moment his eyes landed on Freddy, Shaggy felt his chest clench up and the breath petered out of his throat.

Oh no. He recognized the signs now. Crap, he hated panic attacks. The true ones, the ones that made his lungs forget how to work. Those were the worst.

Shaggy gasped out a strangled breath and leaned forward. He was already feeling like he was dying and maybe this wasn't such a bright idea.

"Shaggy?" Fred called with a frown. His voice sounded like it was coming from below water, though, and Shaggy really needed to sit down. He plopped onto the pavement with a strangled groan and tried to keep himself from passing out.

Fred sat down next to him and pulled a paper bag from his blazer pocket.

"Here." He shook it open and pressed it over Shaggy's mouth. "You know the drill, calm breaths."

Shaggy clutched the bag tightly and tried to get his breathing to work. Fred rubbed his back.

"I read this article about breathing techniques for anxiety disorders." He said, voice low and incredibly soothing. "Breathe in for four seconds, hold it for seven seconds and exhale for eight seconds. Wanna give it a try?"

Shaggy stared at him over the bag.

Fred smiled encouragingly. "I'll do it with you. Breath in, two, three, four. Hold, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Breathe out, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight." He demonstrated each action, waiting patiently for Shaggy to follow his lead.

Shaggy managed with moderate success.

Fred just kept smiling. "Lets try it again. Breathe in, two, three, four. Hold, two, three-"

Zoinks, he couldn't do it. He was a coward, what the hell had Shaggy been thinking? The stress alone would kill him! So Shaggy reached into his pocket and grabbed the ring box. He pulled it out and thrust it at Fred, pressing it against his chest. There, he'd proposed.

Freddy took it, but Shaggy couldn't bare to see his reaction. Instead he stared down at his shoes, still breathing into the bag. Wow, he needed to get new shoelaces. The aglets were barely hanging on.

He heard the click as Fred opened the box. There was a pause, marked only by Shaggy's labored breathing, which was already getting better. The counting-breathing thing actually worked, who'd've thought.

"Shaggy." Fred swallowed, his voice tight. "Is this what I think it is?"

Shaggy nodded jerkily, still holding the bag to his face.

There was another beat of silence, then Freddy started laughing. Laughing. Not loud, mocking laughter. Just his regular kind, like when he found something amusing.

Which was ten times worse. But also deeply confusing.

Shaggy's breathing sped up again, Especially when Fred, still laughing, closed the box, then got up and headed back to the Mystery Machine. Shaggy stared after him, bag still over his mouth out of sheer habit rather than conscious effort. This was not how he'd imagined this night going.

Fred opened the passenger door and leaned inside, rummaging around for something. But he wasn't getting in to drive away, so that was a plus. Fred found whatever it was he was looking for, then closed the door and walked back to Shaggy. He sat down next to him and smiled, still chuckling somewhat. He presented whatever it was to Shaggy with a flourish.

It was a ring box. Like the one Shaggy had, but it was green instead of blue. And it had a golden strip at the edges, his didn't have that.

Shaggy reached out with one hand and flipped the lid open. Inside was a ring, small enough to fit Shaggy's slim fingers. It was made of gold, and it was decorated with little silver circles running around the middle, like a trail of tiny cheerios.

Shaggy turned astonished eyes to Fred. Freddy answered with a grin. "I've been trying to figure out when to give it to you." He explained with a shrug. He lined up the two boxes together and flipped open the one from Shaggy.

They stared at the engagement rings in silence for a while. Then Shaggy lowered the paper bag and grinned. "Like, looks like we're a matching pair." he said with a chuckle.

"Yup. Looks like." Freddy grinned back. He took the ring for him out and slid it onto his finger. "Hey, it fits."

"Like, of course." Shaggy slid his own on. There was a little slack, but it wouldn't fall off. "How'd you get my ring size?"

"I measured your finger one time you and Scooby were in a pizza overload-coma." Fred slung one arm over Shaggy's shoulders. "So. My answer is yes. What about you?"

"Like, you have to ask?" Shaggy leaned closer and kissed Freddy on the lips.

Fred drew back. "I kinda do, I'm hopeless at reading social cues."

Shaggy chuckled. "Like, yes, Fred. If you'll marry me, I'll marry you."

"Awesome." Freddy's grin could only be described as glowing. He pulled Shaggy into a deep kiss and a tight hug.

Shaggy hugged him back and and grinned. Without a doubt, this has been his best idea ever.

 **End**


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